Deanna's POV:

The smell hit hard. Rust, blood, and rotting wood mixed with thick, choking dust. It clawed down my throat and turned my stomach.

In a city where werewolves and humans barely tolerated each other, this place was off-limits. Even the most desperate wouldn't set foot here. It was forgotten land, hollow and dead.

But right now, I was here—bound with vines soaked in wolfsbane. My wrists burned from the sap, and the pain crawled up my arms like fire. I couldn't move.

A strip of coarse hide jammed in my mouth stole my voice, turning my cries into faint, broken whimpers.

Nyra… I had never hated being an Omega more than I did right then.

One of them crouched in front of me. A Rogue. He wore a bone-white mask, jagged and twisted, and his voice rasped like gravel grinding in his throat.

"Ms. Wiley," he growled. "Future Luna of Jake Olson, Alpha of Olsendreich Pack, huh? Thirty million shouldn't be a problem. Make the call yourself."

He dropped a battered phone at my feet.

Then, he ripped the gag from my mouth and sliced the vines from my wrists. Before I could move, before I could even breathe, a black obsidian blade pressed cold and sharp against my throat.

The line rang.

And rang.

Then, I heard his voice—calm, smooth, and low. "Hello?" My whole body shook.

"Jake…" I stammered. "They took me. These Rogues want thirty million. Please… can you come get me?"

There was a pause. A breath, maybe. Just a second of silence.

Then, his voice came back—calm, but colder than ice. "Deanna, I told you. Peggie is sick. Her only wish is this ceremony. Stop acting out."

So, it was today.

The ceremony.

Peggie Pearson. His first love.

She was half-wolf, half-human. Her blood was thin, her body too fragile. Her health had been failing for years. Now, even her heart was giving out.

She had said her dying wish was to hold a mating ceremony with Jake.

And he said yes. When I first heard, I'd snapped. I had screamed at him. Begged him to think about what he was doing.

But not this time.

This time, I hadn't done anything.

I shook my head hard. "Jake, I mean it. I'm not lying. Please believe me!"

His voice came back like steel. Cold. Clean. Unfeeling.

"You're still the Luna. That hasn't changed. Why can't you just understand that? I'm running out of patience."

My voice cracked. "Jake… do you really not care whether I live or die?"

Tears filled my eyes. I forced the words out through clenched teeth. "If you don't come, we're done. I swear it—by Nyra!"

Silence again. Heavy. Endless.

The Rogue yanked the phone away. He'd had enough.

"Alpha… Jake, sounds like you don't care much about your Luna, huh?" he said. "Thirty million's pocket change to you. So, what's it gonna be?"

Jake's answer was flat. "Not a chance."

I saw all three Rogues stiffen. Their eyes widened with disbelief.

Then, another voice came through the speaker. A soft, frail whisper. Peggie.

"I'm glad you're going through with this, Jake," she said. "Even if it's not real, it's enough for me. But if Deanna's really faking a kidnapping just to stop it… maybe we should cancel."

Jake didn't hesitate. "Peggie, I gave you my word. I'm not backing out."

The Rogue holding the phone snapped. His hand shook with rage. "Jake! Your fiancée smells so d*mn good. You're not worried we'll take turns marking her?"

Jake chuckled. Cold. Cruel. "Do it if you can. I might even throw in an extra ten million."

I stopped crying.

I blinked away the tears and let the ache in my chest settle into something cold and final.

I was Deanna Wiley. I had loved him for five years.

I worshipped him. I shaped myself into the Luna he needed. I worked, fought, and bled to prove I was worthy of his side.

And just when I thought he might finally see it…

Peggie came back.

And he gave her everything.

Even a public mating ceremony.

All my efforts were for naught.

The Rogues laughed. Ugly, twisted laughter that made my skin crawl. "Well," one of them said, grinning, "if Jake says so, guess we've got no choice."

He ended the call and looked right at me, his gaze filled with disgusting lust. "Sorry, Ms. Wiley. Your man gave the green light. Guess we're doing this."

He pulled something from his pocket. A small, blood-red pill. Before I could scream, he shoved it past my lips and forced me to swallow.

The taste hit my tongue like acid. I knew what it was. A heat inducer. A drug that forced female wolves into estrus.

…

Jake's POV:

On the Olsendreich Pack's altar, I stood still in a white suit. Peggie stood across from me, dressed in a long white gown meant for a bride.

The second the call disconnected, I forced down the knot of unease pressing against my ribs.

Deanna had done this kind of thing before.

She had never accepted Peggie. Her hostility toward her was always loud, always sharp.

The moment she found out about this symbolic ceremony, she didn't speak to me for days.

Now she had taken it even further. Faking a kidnapping?

Completely reckless.

I had clearly let her get away with too much for too long.

After this ritual ended… if Deanna came back and admitted she was wrong, I would give her something even grander. A real ceremony.

One so luxurious it would put this one to shame. I'd let the entire Olsendreich Pack see her status, loud and clear.

Peggie's voice broke the silence. It was gentle, nearly a whisper. "Jake, I'm sorry. This happened because of me."

"It didn't," I replied.

She looked at me, eyes wide and shining with hope. "So… are we still going through with it?"

I paused for a moment. Then, I replied, "Yes. Let's continue."

…

Deanna's POV:

The second the line went dead, the last thread of hope I held for Jake vanished like smoke.

I reached for my wolf, begged her to wake up, but Mila was still unconscious. The wolfsbane in my system had taken her down hard.

D*mn it. I had to get out myself.

My eyes darted across the floor. Then, I saw it—an obsidian blade lying a few feet away.

I grabbed it with both hands, waited, and when the rogue wasn't watching, I drove the dagger straight into his side.

His body jerked. A scream ripped out of him.

I ran for the doors.

"Get her! Don't let her escape!"

The heat drug had started working. I could feel the fire crawling under my skin, but I kept going.

I didn't care that my lust was eating me alive. I didn't care that I lost my shoes. I didn't care that the rocky ground tore my feet apart. I ran barefoot through the ruins and threw myself into the open night.

The wind hit me, cold and sharp. It burned against the fever rising in my blood.

Behind me, the sound of claws scraping earth and angry roars told me they were closing in. My heart slammed against my ribs so fast it hurt.

This land was cursed. Abandoned. Not a soul lived here.

Then, something shifted. I felt it. A surge of pressure rolled through the air, thick and suffocating. An Alpha's aura crashed into me like a tidal wave. My body froze.

Then, I heard it. A car engine roared in the distance, getting louder.

A black Porsche shot into view, moving like a predator on the hunt. Its sleek frame shimmered under the moonlight, and I knew what kind of car it was. One of those ultra-rare models that only the rich and powerful ever owned.

I didn't hesitate. I ran toward it and threw myself in its path.

Better dead than dragged back by those monsters.

Tires screamed against the pavement. Brakes slammed hard. The Porsche skidded violently and stopped just inches from my body.

The force of the air knocked me over. I hit the ground in front of the car, hard and fast, skin scraping open on jagged gravel.

The door opened.

A man stepped out.

Black pants. Sharp cuts. Long legs. His steps were heavy and calm, each one echoing with command. That Alpha aura hit me again, full force. It surrounded me—intense, cold, and dominating. It wrapped around my body like iron chains. I trembled under it. I couldn't tell if it was fear or something else.

He crouched down in front of me.

And the moment I looked up and saw his face, my heart dropped. My vision narrowed.

It was him.